Co-workers and friends of the driver of a black Volkswagen Jetta visit the severely burned site where five young people were killed in a fiery crash along County Line Road in Arapahoe County on Oct. 3, 2016 near Parker.

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Reeling from shock, Chavez told them she would not be able to go with them to identify the boys. It wasn’t necessary. A trooper told her, “You can’t identify them. There was a fire and you can’t recognize them,” she recalled.

The State Patrol believes the car was speeding as it cut through a tree-lined stretch of empty land near the border of Arapahoe and Elbert counties, and the driver lost control.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

County Line Road near the Arapahoe and Elbert County lines is rural and straight near the site of where five young people were killed in a fiery crash along on October 3, 2016 near Parker.

They were doing what teenagers do, Chavez said, partying and looking for fun when the accident happened at about 5:41 a.m.

Friends of the teens told Chavez the kids were lured to the area by a ghostly tale of an accident at Third Bridge, also called Ghost Bridge, in 1997. Some say the span is haunted.

The road is on rolling land, marking the drive with a succession of small hills.

“They were very good boys,” Chavez said. “They never got into trouble.”

Angelo graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School last year, and started studying at Red Rocks Community College. But his studies required him to travel between the school’s campuses in Arvada and Lakewood.

“He said that was too much traveling, and he wanted to help pay the bills,” so he quit, and was doing construction work, remodeling homes, Chavez said. “He felt bad that he took that time off, and he registered at Metro State University. He was going to start there pretty soon.”

Levi had also attended Lincoln High but left and was attending Emily Griffith High School and planning to be a barber. He loved cars and was working to make a broken down Miyata sports car roadworthy.

Omar went to Lincoln High with Angelo, and was friends with both boys. He and Angelo graduated together last year.

The black VW belonged to Omar, but Levi was driving, Chavez said.

Gang activity isn’t uncommon in the streets of southwest Denver, where Chavez lives. The boys were never attracted to that lifestyle, she said.

“They weren’t bad kids, they weren’t into anything bad at all,” she said. “They just wanted to have some fun and it went a little too far.”

The girls were long-time friends, and the Flores family considered Guadalupe one of their own, said Jessica Prieto Flores, a cousin to Jenny.

The family called Jenny “Chikis,” a Spanish word for “small one” because she was 4 feet 9 inches tall, Flores said.

Jenny had a sassy personality and would toss back snarky barbs when teased about her height, Flores said. She also came up with sarcastic commentary while watching TV shows.

“She would always make everybody laugh,” Flores said.

Guadalupe, who was called “Lupe,” was sweet and always smiled, Flores said.

“She tried to act older and was growing up to be a young lady,” Flores said.

The Flores family was big — Jenny lived with her parents, three older sisters and younger brother. And there were a bunch of cousins. The females referred to themselves as “The Flores Girls,” Flores said.

Guadalupe’s family was smaller — a mother and younger brother. She seemed to enjoy the bigger Flores family and came around often.

“She was so close to my family we had to honor her, too,” Flores said.

The Flores family has an altar in their home to memorialize both girls. It’s filled with pictures, notes from friends and flowers.

When Jenny’s mother realized her daughter wasn’t home on Sunday morning, the family began searching. That afternoon, they heard about the accident and called the Colorado State Patrol.

Troopers came to the home and within a few hours investigators determined it was likely Jenny was in the car.

As of Wednesday afternoon, GoFundMe pages had been set up for four of the five teens’ families to help with expenses. They are Andazola brothers, Aniceto and Macias.

Updated Oct. 6, 2016 at 12:41 p.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Because of a reporting error, this story has been updated to reflect Cynthia’s last name is Chavez.

Noelle Phillips, a Nashville native and a Western Kentucky University journalism school grad, covers law enforcement and public safety for The Denver Post. She has spent more than 20 years in the newspaper world. During that time, she's covered everything from rural towns in the Southeast to combat in the Middle East. The Denver Post is her fifth newspaper and her first in the West.